Ukiyo-e print

Colour woodblock print on a paper mount. Ukiyo-e print depicting a samurai on a black horse. The text in the top right corner reads from top to bottom and says "Kajiwara Kagesue", the name of a samurai of the Minamoto clan who faught in the Genpei War, a conflict in the late Heian period between the Minamoto and Taira clans. During the conflict, a famous battle ensued at the Uji River in Kyoto on New Year's Day in 1184. Before the battle, the feudal lord Minamoto no Yoritomi gave a black horse, Surusumi, to Kajiwara. He also gave a white horse, Ikezuki, to Sasaki Takatsuna, a samurai of the same clan. He then asked both men to privately promise to gain advantage over their fellow comrade. This print shows Kajiwara crossing the Uji River in Kyoto on Surusumi in pursuit of the rival Taira clan. During the conflict, Kajiwara was defeated in the private battle between himself and Sasaki. It has become a famous event in the war history of Japan and is recorded in the Heike Monogatari. The full story is written on the inside of the mount of this print and is connected to that of 56.50.290. The text in the bottom right hand corner of the print reads "Sadanobu" and refers to the artist Hasegawa Sadanobu III (1881-1963), also known as Konobu III (artist name). The seal in the bottom right hand corner is of the Uchida Woodblock Printing Company in Kyoto.